Monster Hunter Tri: Moga Chronicles
by MetallicPoison
Summary: We follow the story of Dariue, a 16 year old excited to become a Monster Hunter. Although he knows his theory, fighting monsters is quite a challenge for him. Being inspired by his mentor, Asch, Dariue sets out to become a legendary Monster Hunter.
1. Soccer and Monsters

Being a monster hunter isn't all fun and games. It's a matter between life and death. Some people question why we hunt these horrible creatures. Personally, I enjoy it. The sudden rush of adrenaline you get when a monster notices you, the feeling of slicing it apart with my great sword. It's an amazing experience. When I was growing up, I studied about all kinds of monsters. The Great Jaggi, the Qurupeco, and especially Lagiacrus. Lagiacrus was my absolute favourite. Its great claws, horns, and dermal spikes were absolutely stunning to see. As terrifying it may be to be in the presence of it, I would have loved to witness its lightning ball. Mind you, given the time I'm writing this, I most definitely have. And it was being fired at me as well. Multiple times. Fighting Lagiacrus was my main goal. Feeling the electricity in the air, I was fuelled by the emitted power of the Lagiacrus itself. But that is for later.

My name is Dariue. I come from a small village in a desert oasis far away from where I currently reside. That is where this story begins.

**Chapter 1: Soccer and Monsters**

Palm trees were standing tall over the oasis that was our village. Many people were merchandising, marketing, working. Having just turned 16 years of age, my work life was just beginning. My childhood was gone and my life, my FUTURE, was ahead of me. I woke up, doing the usual. Put on my clothes, go out into the kitchen of our home, and ate breakfast, which was some bread and a SMALL bit of imported fish. Was good enough for me. I greeted my mother and then walked out the door to see if my father needed help. He was a merchant, a very famous one at that. As I left our home, I immediately noticed Kyle and Miranda along with their friends, playing soccer.

"Isn't it a little TOO hot today?" I asked my brother, Kyle. He was eleven years old at the time. An amazing offensive player at the game. He was a bit tall and had short, brown hair with blue eyes that shined as the hot sun's rays bounced off of them. I swear, you could feel the reflected heat as well.

"Are you gonna play with us?" He asked, almost completely ignoring what I said. He was always like that, straight to the point. That's the part of his personality that would help him later: to act without hesitation.

"Sorry, bud," I said with a frown. "Again, I can't today. I have to help father out at the post."  
>"But we need you for defence!"<p>

"You've got Eamon on your side, don't you?" I glanced over at the older boy behind Kyle, Eamon. He was very energetic and had practically the exact same hair as Kyle. His eyes were blue as well, though slightly more gray. Soccer was a great game for him, given his flexibility. The guy was blessed with it. His great reflexes would help him greatly in the future.

"It's kind of one-sided if you ask me," He said, in his usual boastful voice. Though not the _bad_ kind of boasting. Moretheless, _proud_ boasting. "Me and Kyle kick the other side's ass." My brother took the lead, "Yeah, but it's still hard getting the ball past Mir."

I looked over Eamon this time, waving at my sister, Miranda. She was in the goal, which was basically just a line in the dirt. She waved back. Her hair was long, but not too long. It was brown and the style was changed from day to day. You couldn't really pin a solid image of what she really looks like, considering her hair was a big contributing factor to that. In my opinion, at least. She was the greatest goalie in the village, I swear. Everyone agrees.

"Well, I'm off. I'll see you guys near sunset." I said, starting to walk away. Then, suddenly, a deep voice came out from the shadows that were given off by the side by side homes. If you want a picture of the homes, picture the city that Anakin Skywalker came from on Tatooine. Yeah.

"Sixteen already, huh?" The voice was deeper than the shadows. The man stepped out from them, stepping into the sunlight. I turned and looked at him, a grin appearing on my face.

"Indeed," I said, with a happy voice. I knew the man. Everyone knew him. Everyone loved him. He was an idol to us all. His name was Asch. The sun reflected off of the scales of his red armour. The scales of that of a Rathalos. I knew greatly about the Rathalos. I read about it in multiple books. It was a flying wyvern. A flying wyvern is basically like a dragon. It has wings, and two legs instead of four. The Rathalos is a male, red wyvern that shoots fireballs. It has lethal poison on its talons which could severely hurt a monster hunter. "Got new armour, I see?" Asch nodded and then unsheathed his great sword. The great sword was a weapon that was very strong and quite brutal, if wielded correctly. It was the size of a normal man's body. Asch always allowed me to see his equipment. He even let me wield his Ludroth Bone Sword. He had a stronger version of it, but he made a special version just for me to have. He said that I could have it if I ever decided to… you know… become a monster hunter.

The Ludroth and Royal Ludroth is a species that is aquatic and lizard-like. They have an attack that can drench you. That is what we call Waterblight. Waterblight basically means you have difficulty retaining your stamina, considering you're soaked. It becomes difficult to run. The Royal Ludroth is a big monster that has this strange sponge as a mane. It moves very quickly both on land and underwater.

Asch's great sword was recognizable to me. And it also gave me fear at its sight. Only a slight bit of fear though. It was made of materials that came from the one monster that I have witnessed both the roar and attacks of. It was a sand dragon. A great horned dragon. A dragon that merely digs and uses the ground to attack, not its wings. That surprised me the most.

It is the Diablos. Diablos is a greatly feared monster of my home. It was gigantic and wreaked havoc with its tail. Its horrible, horrible tail. Asch's blade was called the Blade of Talos.

I can recall even that memory, given all my fights. However, there is a great reason why. It was the biggest life-changing moment in my life.


	2. Inspiration

**Chapter 2: Inspiration**

I was out where I wasn't supposed to be. After a great fight with my parents, I was foolish enough to want to leave. So I tried. I ran away from home, from my village, and walked in the desert night. It was cold. Very cold. I was merely a child of 8. There were tears on my face as I looked back at the faint lights of my beloved home as I was about to cross over a dune that would shield my vision from it. I began to walk, looking at the moon in the dark blue sky. I loved the stars and the moon. How the stars danced in the sky, along with the moon, as they lit the heavens and governed them during the dark night.

I had been walking for what seemed to be hours when I suddenly just couldn't anymore. I fell to my knees, shivering greatly, my hands pale. I knew I had nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. I was going to die.

I suddenly felt trembling beneath my knees. I blinked, looking at the sand, and then forward at the blurry horizon. The trembling stopped. I stayed still, my heart racing. I was taking fast, shallow breaths, my mind going through thousands of thoughts a second. I then heard running footsteps and the jingling of chains behind me. I turned around and saw a man running towards me. He began to yell.

"Stay still, child!" He yelled, running really fast towards me. I then noticed a giant sword on his back, moving along with his body. I gasped, scared, wondering what he was going to do to me. He jumped forward and grabbed me as I felt the trembling happen again. Then, all of a sudden, as we were moving in circles due to rolling, I saw a great dual-horned dragon charge up out of the ground where I was laying. Sand shot into my wide open eyes as we rolled. We stopped rolling, the man's breath kept under control, though strained.

"What's your name, kid?" He asked me, calmly, though he was panting.

"D-Dariue…" I said, stuttering from the shock. I took a moment to look at the man. His hair was long and black, and he was a big man. That's all I could register in my 8 year old mind.

"Listen, Dariue," He said, gently, "I know you're scared. But I'll protect you. It's my job to fight these things." He put his hand into his back pouch and pulled out a red container, "Take this, it will warm you up."

I grabbed it with my shaky hands and then opened it and drank from it. It was kind of spicy and 'peppery' but it warmed me up almost right away. The man smiled at me, rubbing his hand through my hair, "Be right back, Dariue." He stood up, then ran towards the monster, which was now facing us. Its mouth opened, raising its head, pointing up to the night sky and then unleashed an absolutely horrible screech. It was no roar, I'll give you that! I placed my hands on my ears and trembled, squeezing my eyes shut, terrified. But then the screech was interrupted by a yell and a sound of a slice. I peeked with one eye and saw the man running his sword quickly down the Diablos' neck. The monster retaliated, trying to take a swift bite at him, but he dodged nimbly, rolling. I looked in amazement as the man fought this humongous creature. He never took one hit, and he hurt the monster as much as he could, at every chance he had! And in what felt to be so quick, the monster dropped down to the ground with a loud thud.

The man walked towards me and lent me a hand, getting me to my feet. "Let's get you home."

From that day on, I visited him almost every day, asking millions of questions about monsters. And so started my obsession.


	3. Initiation

**Chapter 3: Initiation**

We clashed forearms. That was the standard monster hunter greeting, or so I was told by Asch. It had been eight years since that life-changing night.

"I'm heading to my father's post," I told him, gesturing for the sword to be put away. He did so and then crossed his arms, nodding.

"I wish to accompany you," He said with a strange pride in his voice. I tilted my head, looking strangely at him, then nodded. Everyone was silent. Then, Eamon broke the silence.

"Today's the day, isn't it?" He exclaimed, looking at me then Asch. Asch nodded then looked at me. I blinked then looked at the ground, my eyes half closed. I raised my arm so it was perpendicular to my body, half way up my body, and clenched my fist.

"The day I become a monster hunter, huh…" I said to myself, looking at my fist, "I never thought the day would come." And with that, I began walking away towards the center of the village. Asch followed. The walk was mostly silent between the two of us. The only sound being the village's locals, working. And there were also some kids that were running around. We passed multiple houses that were made of a variety of materials. Some were made of wood, some were made of sand and mud, and some were actually nicely built with clay brick. I always loved this village for its variety.

We arrived in the middle square of the city where all of the merchandising occurred. There were many, many people from all over the region. It was strange. Though this village is pretty much smack dab in the middle of nowhere, it has a great reputation for desert trade. Blimps flew in and out daily. Including the Argosy airship, which Asch favoured due to the fact he was a hunter. He would always buy me things to experiment with.

My father was at his booth, or what we call a kiosk. But it was attached to a 'building' within the square. He was what you'd call a banker. He, along with a select few, managed money. To think his job would be dangerous, but it wasn't. This village is a peaceful village where everyone knows and loves each other. The only threat is the outsiders, but they themselves know this village's rep and don't screw around with it.

Beside my father was a woman that I had a HUGE crush on when I was a child. It was funny. She was our guild representative, and Asch knew her very well (not like THAT.) She wore red guild robes along with a red hat. It was her uniform. My father saw us and waved. We walked to him. Asch leaned against the booth.

"So, today's the day, ain't it?" said my father, slowly leaning onto the top of his 'desk' which was the top of the booth exchange. Asch nodded, "Your son's reached the age. It's time." He turned to the girl beside my father. She looked at me, and giggled softly. God, was she cute.

"How are we gonna do this?" Asch asked, leaning towards her now. She nodded then lowered out of sight, then she came back into sight with a few papers.

"Take these home and read over them carefully," She advised, "then sign your name on the final page." She pointed at the line. The one line that was again going to be another life-changing point. I looked at it for a minute, processing these thoughts. Then, I nodded and took the papers, smiling back at her. Asch tsked, then waved goodbye to my father, "He is coming with me to my home."

My father nodded, then placed his hand on my shoulder, "Good luck, m'boy," he said, with a newfound pride. I smiled, my eyes closed, then walked along with Asch to his home.

We arrived at his home. It was a very familiar place to me, considering I've visited almost every day of my life since I was 8. His home wasn't special or anything. It was as common as everyone else's, except he had a red drape as a cover for the doorway. He told me that in Loc Lac, he has a big, white home that was fitting for that of a prince. I found it very hard to believe and thought he was joking.

And now I bet you're wondering: What is this Loc Lac place? Loc Lac City is a city of merchandising and most importantly, hunter meetings. Monster hunting, that's what the city was purely about. It's based on another oasis in the Great Desert, far away from my home. My home village is situated closer to an area called the Sandy Plains, which is an approved hunting ground.

Loc Lac is where all new hunters go to become full monster hunter elites. In the past, it was home to every official monster hunter under the Guild. However, due to something called the Hunter Revolt, hunters were given permission to stay in their assigned villages and call them home.

The city operates 24/7. Many hunters from all over the world go there for days on end and increase their standings. It's practically like a game. A monster hunter's dream.

Asch gestured for me to sit at his round table, which was only about 4 feet in diameter. He was still in his Rathalos Armour. Or shall I specify, Rathalos+ Armour. That will be explained later on. I sat down and leaned back in my chair. He sat down with a drink of ale, giving me a mug and pouring some into it. I took a sip then swallowed. He then began to talk.

"You know, 8 years goes by quite fast," He explained, looking at the table's center. He then looked up at me, and stared me in the eyes for about a full minute. He nodded, "You're ready. Now what I'm about to say is going to be long. But, I'm sure you don't mind listening to my lectures. You do enjoy them after all, don't you?" I nodded, paying my full attention. He grinned underneath his Rathalos+ helmet.

"After you sign that slip that the guild representative gave to you, you will be sent to Loc Lac the following day. You'd depart via my ship and will arrive in about ten hours time." He stood up and pointed at an area labelled Loc Lac on his giant world map on his wall. It was old-fashioned and on parchment.

"There, you will be given your hut and get your night's rest. The next day, you'll meet the Guildmaster and he will appoint you as an official monster hunter… but only after his test."

"His test?" I questioned, staring at the label of their village on the map. It was a great distance, with Loc Lac at the center of the map.

"Yes," Asch responded, "however, I cannot help you or give you any hints. It's a lone quest, and is different for every hunter." He began to walk towards his closet that was to the left of me.

"I'm sorry, Dariue, but that's all I can really tell you. The Guildmaster will want to tell you the rest. In the meantime…" He opened up the closet. It was very familiar to me. It was Asch's special storage closet after all. "Sign that page where required! Use my quill…" He yelled out with a muffled voice. I nodded and looked back at the page, grabbing the quill and dipping it in the ink. I read the writing:

'_I, _, agree to pledge allegiance to the eternal Loc Lac and forever hold loyalty to the Guildmaster and his colleagues. My duty, as an official Loc Lac Hunter, is to fulfill any given urgent quests, and will do whatever I can in my ability to complete all requirements of them. My signature signifies the bond between all inhabitants of the country of Loc Lac and I. Signature: _'_

I chuckled lightly and then, without hesitation, signed my name in Wyverian. Dariue Godrick. I sighed lightly and happily and held up the page. "I've signed."

"Good. Then this will be of use," Asch said, with the sound of chains crackling. They were slightly less dense than the chains of Asch's armour. This made me turn around almost immediately. I gasped and looked in awe. Asch was holding a full chainmail suit of armour.

"I'm sure you know what kind of armour this is? If not, then you've already failed me." He laughed, knowing I would never do so, "Whatcha think? Made it especially for you a couple weeks back. It's come fully equipped with Aquavian dust good enough to boost your energy the moment you put it on."

Aquavian dust. These were 'decorations' that you put into your armour to increase certain physical and mental abilities. I never experienced it before. I knew about Aquavian dust for sure. Asch always bragged about the strength and heat resistance that his Rathalos+ armour had. Yet I always made fun of Asch due to the fact that along with the dust, he had lowered defense. This was caused by an internal conflict with the dust and their accompaniments. Aquavian Dust consisted mainly of two things: Aquaglow Jewels or Aquaglow Dust, and a certain commodity or material.

I grinned and stood up to feel the chainmail. I was absolutely mesmerized by the feeling. It seemed really thick and heavy to put on, just by the feeling of it. I took hold of it and confirmed that it really was heavy. The name was misleading though; the armour was made of iron and had a hard, flat plate for a mail. Asch said it was more of a vest. The headgear looked very cool, and so did the gloves.

"Wanna try it on?" Asch asked me, his arms crossed, looking at me with pride. I immediately looked at him and nodded quickly. "Yes!"

"Okay then. Here's a muscle undershirt, and some hunter briefs. Don't worry, they're not used." He laughed, and then handed me the new clothing. I walked into the other room of his home to put them on. This room had a little bit of a different hemisphere. He had a window high up the far wall, and his walls were laced with shelves of random objects. There were whetstones, kelbi horns, blue mushrooms, and many other things. I gave a little 'hm' in acknowledgement. Then, I began to put on the undergarments. Hunters require a suitor to put the armour on for them, so I returned to the room Asch was in with my new hunting clothes on.

"You are going to be wearing these a lot. Take them off and wash them frequently. Make note of that, or else it'll get quite gross." He took my armour and placed it beside us on a table. "Are you ready?" I nodded without any hesitation. We're crossing the threshold, no turning back now.

He nodded as well then started by placing the Chainmail Belt on me. It wrapped around very tight, but I still felt comfortable. I put on the Chainmail Pants myself. He then put the Chainmail leggings on me. Luckily, I have been trained to be slightly stronger than normal, so the armour was manageable. He looked up at me after fastening the leggings on, "How do they feel?" I moved my legs for a few seconds, attempted shaking them out and such to get a feel for the armour. I nodded and said that they were great. He smiled then placed the Chainmail gloves on me. There were a few layers of each armour piece, and he finished each by snapping them into place. I felt really powerful and protected by these.

He placed the iron plate on me. Both my back and front sides were covered. He also put a strange shoulder piece on my left shoulder that had a little edge pointing upward. I then looked at the headgear. Asch grinned, then grabbed it from the table beside us, holding it in his hands.

"I've been waiting for this day for 8 years, bud," He chuckled lightly to himself, then slowly placed it on my head. It was a shiny helmet that covered the sides of my jaw. It also had a long piece of iron that went down my nose slightly. The inside of the helmet was all soft, and it also had a rather familiar slot in the inside, at the back. That slot was to be used for the Decorations I spoke of earlier. However, it already had a decoration in the slot. Think of decorations as sort of like transparent orbs with energy in the form of dust swirling inside it. The dust was orange and gave off an ominous glow.

Asch placed it fully on my head, and told me to lock it the same way Asch unlocks and locks his helmets. I locked it successfully and grinned, hyped up. I was finally wearing my own personal set of armour!

"Now the REAL reward is when you make armour from the monsters that you kill yourself. Then you'll feel even better." Asch exclaimed, placing his hand on my shoulder piece, looking down at me. "Now, I have one thing for you. Ya gotta guess what it is though." He quickly moved back to the closet and I said, "Um, more decorations?"

"Nope."

"Trap tools?"

"Nuh-uh!" Asch made a sound of struggling as I heard jiggling of metals and such in the closet, and then I heard something drop and he cursed out loud. I couldn't help but laugh a bit to myself. He laughed out from the closet.

"Is it a sword?" I asked, as the jiggling suddenly stopped. It was quiet for a quick second, for what seemed to be forever, then he broke the silence: "_Almost_." He then walked out of the closet. My eyes widened.

What Asch had in his hands was a Great Sword. It was made of Ludroth sponge and a strong blade. "Normally a hunter would be given a Sword and Shield for a beginning weapon, but after seeing you practise with the wooden Great Sword I made for you… I think it's truly the weapon for you."

I slowly walked to him and hesitantly attempted to touch it. He chuckled, "You can touch it, you know. It IS yours. If you hadn't noticed, there's a ring buckle to be used as a sash on your back." I quickly felt the back of my armour. On the upper-right side of my back was a buckle that was made for storing weaponry. I then placed my hand on the Great Sword.

"It's the Ludroth Bone Sword. Pretty basic, but it works. You obviously know that." Asch forwarded it to me. I took it from his hands and held it, embracing the weight.

"Come take a look in the mirror!" He walked me towards his mirror in the back, and I looked at myself for a very long time. I placed the great sword in my sash and then wielded it. I looked so… powerful. Yet, I knew that this was only the beginning; the beginning of a dreadful experience. An experience of TWO lives.


	4. Confronting Reality

**Chapter 4: Confronting Reality**

I took my first step outside into the oasis that was our village. With a breath of fresh air, I walked out into the streets of sand with Asch. Everyone immediately noticed us and looked at us, whispering to each other. I had a feeling of uncertainty and embarrassment, mostly because I was scared of being the center of attention. Asch knew of this, and he placed his hand on my shoulder from behind. I looked back at him. He was smiling. I smiled back and my hopes were boosted.

We continued to walk, heading towards my home. The sun was already three-quarters across the sky. We attempted to smell the various dinners that would be in the process of cooking at this time of day, but there weren't any for some reason. Kids were running around playing, but they also stopped, looking at me. Two of them were Tarin and Gyro. They were friends of my brother. I stopped and looked at them as they attempted to stare me down, processing who I actually was. Then, a look of success came across Tarin's face.

"Dariue!" He exclaimed, taking a look at Gyro, "It's Dariue!" They both looked at me in amazement. I laughed out loud and patted both of their heads.

"Yo." I said in a low, clear tone. "I'm headin' home at the moment."

"Ohhhh, does he know? Does he know, Tarinnnn?" Gyro said in his childish tone. Tarin immediately put him into a headlock, whispering to him. "Shut up, Gyro! He's not supposed to know!" He looked up at me and smiled awkwardly.

"Aha, yeah, you should go home." Tarin said, and I nodded, patting his head again, and walked forward towards home once again. Asch had his arms crossed as he was walking with me and grinned at the two kids as he passed them.

We arrived at my home a few minutes later. It was to my surprise that just about everyone in the village was there. Even the mayor was there. A man that I know by the name of Yango saw me and yelled out, "He's here!"

I blinked and immediately everyone stopped talking and turned to me. My jaw was dropped slightly, and I was once again embarrassed. I was blushing. Then, everyone started applauding me. Asch was applauding as well. I looked at everyone, still with surprise on my face. The mayor walked out from the crowd, causing everyone to slowly stop applauding. The mayor placed his arm around me.

"Tomorrow will be a great day." He began. He was very tall, and wore slightly more formal clothing than the others. He had gotten the almost-to-be-tux from a merchant in Loc Lac. How do I know this? Well, he's similar to Asch. Everyone knows him. Everyone loves him. He was an idol to us all…. Well, not really an idol. But he was still cool. "Our young friend and fellow villager, Dariue, has finally come of age to become a monster hunter. And as we can all see, surely he has been given great aid because of our great Asch." He then looked at me, and actually kneeled down on one knee. I was surprised. And then not only did he kneel: EVERYONE kneeled.

"Being a monster hunter is a great career that many fear to take." He looked up at me. "In diplomatic terms, you are now Sir Dariue Goddrick." He stood up and so did everyone else. He turned to my father, who was at the front of the crowd. "Will you have the honours, Garinu?"

My father nodded then raised his arms, "Let the feast begin, and the festivities of the evening shall commence."

I was surprised AGAIN, yes, I KNOW, I get surprised a LOT. The reason why I was this time? There was a HUGE table that was placed in the 'street.' It was very long, and there was a lot of food. I was given the honour of sitting at the head of the table, but instead, I wanted to sit beside my love.

Yes. I had a girlfriend. Her name, you ask? Her name's Teia. She's very beautiful. She has long, blonde hair, and has the best blue eyes I had ever seen. I could go on forever about her eyes alone… But that would be awkward, now, wouldn't it? She was 14 at the time. I sat down beside her and unlocked my helmet, removing it. I looked at her for a moment as she stood up to see me. She wore such a beautiful dress. It was a blue and white dress; the same one that she wore to a village-wide dance a few months back. She knew I loved it. Her skin was also very light and soft.

"Hey," I said, smiling as we sat down, "What's up?" She was smiling back. I got to look into her blue eyes, and like always, I got lost in them. Like an ocean full of… gah, I cannot describe. I told myself I wouldn't! Haha.

"Hi, Dariue," She said. Her voice. That was another thing. Such an amazing voice. No matter her mood, her voice soothed me.

"There's a lot of food here, isn't there?" I exclaimed, looking at my plate. My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten all day. Rule #1: ALWAYS eat. That's my number one monster hunter rule. It keeps your strength up. She nodded at my comment about the food.

"How about we head somewhere after?" I asked, looking at her once again, having a feeling of warmth splash my face. She nodded and blushed very lightly, "The usual place?"

"The usual place," I smiled warmly. Then everyone began to eat.

Later on that night, the sun had set. I met with my brother, sister, a bunch of friends and such. We all conversed for a while. Then Teia and I headed up to our usual bonding place. It was a high hill on the outside borders of the city. I still had my armour on, holding my helmet. We sat down. I took my great sword out of my sash and placed it down on the ground beside me. We sat very close, looking up at the amazing night sky. It was dotted with thousands of stars. It was a new moon that night, so it didn't block out any of the stars.

I looked into her eyes as she looked into mine. I could see all of the stars in the sky in her eyes. Only, they were more beautiful. Shining so greatly.

"So." She exclaimed, looking at me with that familiar smile.

"Sooo." I said, chuckling lightly to myself, smiling back.

"You're actually fulfilling that crazy dream of yours." She then put her arms around me as we laid down, looking at the sky. I put my arms around her and nodded. "Yep… It's kinda freaky, isn't it? I'm actually going to fight for once."

It was then that she held me closer, her head now on my chest. I swear she could hear my heartbeat, suddenly beating faster. I blushed lightly.

"That's the thing… you're going to be fighting… things like Diablos…" She looked up at me with concern in her eyes. I looked down with kind eyes and ran my hand down her back, rubbing it slowly.

"I'll be okay… I promise. I'll visit all the time." She made a little sound of sadness and closed her eyes, as if she were going to fall asleep.

"I'll miss you…"

"I'll miss you too." I said to her with my calm voice. It was then that she looked back up at me, and then she moved closer to my face, and we kissed. It was long and stationary. Just a nice, normal kiss.

"I love you, Teia." I hugged her close. She said that she loved me too.

"Can you take that armour stuff off?"

"Why do you want it off?"

"I want to feel your warmth one more time…" She said as her voice got quieter, looking away. I knew she was blushing. I chuckled to myself lightly. "Yes, I can." I then slowly removed my armour, piece by piece. Hunters can remove their own armour. It's just difficult to put on. I kept my Chainmail pants on because of the fact that all I had were mere undergarments. After I removed the top half of my armour, she nuzzled into my chest. Her warmth was more than anything I could ask for. I could stay like this forever.

Forever. What she said was hinting the truth.

We weren't going to see each other for a long while.

That was reality.


	5. Heading Out

**Chapter 5: Heading Out**

Later that night, after our bonding, I walked Teia home. We kissed once again and wished each other good night. I was going to see her again tomorrow morning before I depart for Loc Lac. I also realized another thing. I was going to actually be alone for my first time, in a BIG CITY, with big, scary HUNTERS. I'm kidding. I had become one of them. I had managed to put on my Chainmail plate body in order to effectively carry my great sword. It was a little awkward at first, but I managed to make it home without anyone noticing my amateur-ness.

I opened the door to my family's home. I had about an hour before I actually planned on going to bed. I walked into the kitchen and my mother hugged me right away. She didn't notice my armour at first though.

"Must you have that on?" She confronted me with a frown. I laughed lightly then pulled off my armour that held my great sword and placed it on the ground, hugging my mom.

"Sorry," I said, "It's very heavy and stuff. I had to find a way to bring my sword home while carrying everything else."

"Why'd you have it off in the first place?" She confronted me once again. I blushed instantly and looked away. "I-It was very hot in there. We live in the desert, remember?" I laughed nervously and then grabbed my stuff and attempted to run to my room with them. Success? I beg to differ. As I entered the living room, my brother and sister were both sitting down on their favourite sides of the couch. They had stayed up waiting for me to come home. I sat in between them. Kyle turned and looked at me.

"Back so early?" He said, sleepily. I looked at him with confusion on my face. "Mom said we could stay awake until you came home…" I laughed lightly and patted his back. Miranda was already asleep, sitting. I stood up and told Kyle that I was going to be able to say bye tomorrow morning. And thus, I took my armour to my room, closed the door, and slept. Well, I slept only for a small bit. It took forever to fall sleep. Too much anticipation.

The next day, I was woken up early by my father. I immediately jumped up and fell from my bed, landing on my back. The room was all swirly at first and I was oblivious. I didn't know what day I had stumbled upon. My departure.

"Do you have everything?" My dad said, after laughing at me for falling out of my bed. I nodded, still a bit sleepy. I looked at my armour, shining in the thin ray of sunlight through the window of my room. I grinned, nodded my head, rubbed my eyes, and stood up. I stretched, yawning, then jumped into the living room. My sister had awoken only minutes before. She was sitting in the same place she fell asleep, on her side of the couch. I ruffled her hair and bolted for the kitchen. My mother was in there, placing some food into my Blademaster's Pouch. The pouch came with the armour. Asch said that it was his first one, and handed it to me a few years before. I was finally going to make official use of it today! This one was made to store mainly food and first aid. There were many other different pouches, but Asch said I would get those the moment I'm enrolled as Monster Hunter status.

After eating an early breakfast (mainly comprised of bacon and Delex eggs, which are surprisingly good by the way), I packed my backpack with some of my clothing for my new home. I packed some of my most prized possessions. One of them being a Rathalos scale that Asch brought back for me from a hunt in an area known as the Wyverian Volcano. The other was my first whetstone that I had quickly dulled after its first use. That was a couple years ago, when Asch taught me how to sharpen a blade.

While the sun had just risen, my brother and I played some quick one-on-one soccer. I knew I was going to play with him one more time. I taught my siblings how to play myself, when we were all very young. After that, we cooled down. Asch arrived at my home about an hour afterwards.

"Dariue, you got your stuff?" Asch said, with a kind of serious tone. I nodded, pointing to my bag and armour. "We're going to have to dress you into your armour before you leave." I blinked and then realized something.

"I'll be RIGHT back!" I waved quickly then ran away. Asch shook his head with a grin, his arms crossed as always. He looked at my mother and father (I found this out later on.) "Your kid is going to be a fine hunter. You guys should know that." My mother looked a bit concerned.

"I don't want to worry him about my concern," she said, with a shallow, mournful voice almost. "Our previous mayor died from…"

"He won't be facing such a terror soon," Asch exclaimed, "They repelled Jhen Mohran a long while ago. It's been over ten years."

"That's why she's so concerned, Asch," my father said, walking in from behind, "Ten years is a long time. It's not dead. It's still out there."

"But it's most definitely fearful of coming back. Monsters do have brains, you know," Asch explained, "Jhen is a strong elder dragon indeed, but if anything happens, you can know that Dariue will be very far away. It'll be years before he tackles such a thing." However, Asch said that with unmistakable doubt in his voice.

I slid, stopping in front of Teia's house. I went and knocked on the door, waiting for an answer. Her mother arrived at the door seconds later, opening it.

"My, my, Dariue," she said, "Why are you up so early?" I smiled, turning my head to the left slightly to avoid direct eye contact. I never liked giving direct eye contact. Only to Teia.

"I'm leaving soon…" I said, letting my sentence drag out, "I wanted to say bye to Teia one more time." Her mother looked at me with a small bit of worry.

"Well, you're going to have to hurry and find her. She woke up early looking for you. She just left moments ago." My eyes widened slightly. "Gotta go!" I exclaimed, running away almost instantly. "I'll see you in a few months or so! Bye!" I waved, running in the direction of my house. I was panting by the time I reached my house. Asch looked at me, still standing in the same position as I had left him minutes before.

"What's up?"

"Did you see Teia anywhere?"

"Your 'place.'"

"Thanks!" I bolted out of there, right away. I headed in the direction of our hill. I saw a figure up there, knowing it was Teia. I yelled out her name multiple times, and she ran down the hill, jumping at me, causing me to fall. "H-Hey." I said, trying to catch my breath. She laughed.

"Hello." She said, with that usual look of happiness. "You're leaving soon?" I nodded, standing up after a hug.

"Yeah, I am," I gestured that we started walking in the direction of my house. "It's going to be scary…"

"You've always wanted to do this. You shouldn't turn back now," She assured me, poking at my arm. I smiled, "I know. I'll be fine." We reached my home. Asch was now holding my stuff. He was still in his Rathalos+ armour, just letting you know.

"It's time, bud," Asch said, nudging his head in the direction of my house's door. I nodded, kissing Teia as I held her hand. Then, I walked inside with Asch. Asch placed my things on the table beside me.

"Stretch out your arms," He demanded softly. I did, standing in the standard position for suiting. He placed my leggings on as usual and the body armour as well. He handed me my helmet. I looked at him with a bit of concern. "Crossing the threshold," Asch stated, letting go of the helmet into my hands, "you're ready, Dariue. Cheer up, will ya?" I nodded, hesitantly. I put the helmet on, still holding the sides with my hands.

"I don't need to cheer up," I said, with a strange silence looming over us, "I'm a monster hunter and proud of it." I then locked the helmet on, Asch looking at me with approval. We clashed forearms. The standard monster hunter clash. Oh yeah. I walked outside into the sun, my Ludroth Bone Sword on my back, moving with my body as I moved. Some villagers had grouped outside of their homes, seeing me off. Teia held my hand again as we walked toward the open air field. My family was with us. Everyone was with us. I let go of Teia's hand, hugging her, then Asch and I walked towards the ship. I heard cheering starting to emerge from the crowd that surrounded the airfield. Did being a monster hunter really mean this much? Maybe because Asch had an everlasting effect on the village. We were looked up to. I shifted my back so my backpack would be on my back correctly. I walked into the airship. It was like a hot air balloon. Asch walked in as well, as he was heading to Loc Lac. I placed my backpack on the bottom of it. I waved to everyone, especially my family, my girlfriend, and my girlfriend's family.

"I'll be back!" I yelled out loud, "I promise!" Asch waved slightly as well and then sat down. As the airship revved up, it began to fly above the ground. I turned and met the usual flier of the ship. His name was Rehuyar. Rehuyar is a strange name, yes. But the reason why is because he's from a family from the Dragon Tribe. They are the Wyverians. The Wyverians have been around longer than humans, apparently. Humans and Wyverians get along very well and are practically the same. However… Rehuyar has a vertically longer head and pointed ears. That's the only difference between Wyverians and Humans. They also used to be way taller, but that was in the prehistoric times. Rehuyar turned to me, handing me his hand. I shook it.

"Pleasure having you aboard, Sir Dariue," Rehuyar stated, quickly turning back after the handshake and started doing some airship stuff. I didn't remember. I blushed lightly at the fact that someone called me by the name of Sir for the first, real time. I suddenly lost balance as our ship shifted due to wind. I almost fell. Asch laughed as he was sitting down on a seat in the airship. He patted the sitting space beside him, "Sit here, Dariue." I walked slowly, maintaining my balance, and sat down beside him, my great sword leaning against the wooden wall behind me. I turned and looked outwards peering down at what was our village.

It was beautiful. I could see the desert go on forever. The village was almost a mere spec now. I gasped, just now realizing my slight fear of heights. However, I was mesmerized by the sight. Some shallowness filled my gut. I missed everyone already. Homesickness was new to me.

"Strange seeing your home from this high, isn't it?" Asch said to me, sitting beside me. I nodded and took a big sigh of relief. "I've always wanted to come up here."

"It's going to be a long ride," Asch stated, "About a day's flight. Give or take the shift in winds... or encounters." I immediately turned my head to look at him.

"Encounters?" I asked, with some concern in my voice.

"You know that we live within the Great Desert of Loc Lac. We will be flying over what the village calls the Bounds. It's an area filled with wide canyons. Very popular for wyverns." I gulped at the thought, but shook my head to trash it. Asch has gone back and forth many times. Everything will be okay. Besides, Diablos' can't fly.

Diablos' can't fly... right?


	6. Teamwork

**Chapter 6: Teamwork**

I may have forgotten to mention that other threatening monsters do exist in the Desert. And I'm not talking about bugs like Altaroth, or Bnahabra. Oh, no no no, I mean legitimate, HUGE monsters. I forgot to worry about...

"Rathian, approximately 134 degrees of head!" Rehuyar exclaimed, his voice loud and clear. Asch stood up immediately, walking up to Rehuyar, who was observing at the front of the ship. He peered over, shaking his head. I walked to them to see as well.

"No, we're too high. She won't bother." Asch stated, placing his hand on the banister. I took a look for myself. It was a real living Rathian! I was very excited. Rathians are female wyverns. They're a dark sage colour with spiky, poisonous tails and spotted wings. I fell in love with this monster the moment I saw her: They didn't call her the Queen of Wyverns for nothing. The way she flew so perfectly through the air entranced me.

Asch pat my back, leaving his hand on my shoulder for a moment, "That there, you don't want to screw around with. You know the gash on my left shoulder? Yep, that was from one of those." He then started to walk towards his seat, but was interrupted by Rehuyar's nervous words. Oh, how much of a scare this was going to be...

"But, Sir Asch! Please, monitor the way she's flying." Asch then turned back and grabbed a telescope from the side of the wall. He aimed it downwards, his jaw dropping ever so slightly.

"Well, I'll be..." He said with a different voice. I looked at him, confused.

"What is it, Asch?"

"Tell me, Dariue, when a wyvern wants to change its momentum, what does it have to do? Remember from your studies."  
>"Umm..." I pondered for a moment, searching my mind to recall the information. It was definitely familiar. I then snapped my fingers at the information's successful retrieval, "She tries to cut into the wind currents that are in the direction she wants to go."<br>"Exactly... it's strange, Rathians like to hunt from the ground," He put the telescope down and squinted, focusing on her. He pointed towards her right wing, "As you can see, she is attempting to cut upwards with her right talon. By the way her balance is holding out, she's on a bit of an angle, her wing pointing towards our ship." He nodded, agreeing with himself. He then stood up.

"Rehuyar, lock the wheel. I need you to arm the Ballista." Asch commanded. Rehuyar stood up without hesitation, flicking a switch to keep the wheel locked, making a jolting sound, which made me jump.

"What's the plan, Asch?" I asked, looking up at him. Asch grinned, turning his back to me.

"It's simple. We defend the ship. And if that means we have to kill the thing... we will." Almost as if it was at cue, the Rathian roared. The sound definitely made it sound closer, and more towards the rear of the ship. My assumption was correct. Asch ran to the back of the ship, grabbing into his box. He pulled out a yellow sphere that glowed faintly.

"Learning time," he said, throwing the sphere up and down in his hand, "This is a flash bomb. It flashes a great light that can blind monsters. You shake it insanely, then squeeze it greatly. Then, well, I'm guessing you know the rest. Thunderbug's-a-flying, Rehuyar!" He yelled out with amusement, shaking his hand while squeezing the bomb. He then threw it out off the ship. "I suggest you look away!" I did, hearing a faint sweep sound. The Rathian roared a confused roar and I could hear its wings attempting to maintain perfect balance. I then heard the Ballista being shot above us. Rehuyar was shooting arrow-like ammunition from it at the Rathian. He was aiming for the wings. Wow, that Rathian was such a fighter. To think the flash bomb would have done it.

After what seemed to be so long, the Rathian was dodging every arrow. It was as if it was invincible. Rehuyar gave out an exclamation of frustration.

"We're wasting too much ammo, Sir!"  
>"It's fine! Dismantle the Ballista and come down, Rehuyar!" Asch replied almost immediately, as if he knew what Rehuyar was going to say. "Dariue's going to fire the Dragonator." My eyes widened at that time.<br>"Wait, wha- Hey! Let me down!" In the middle of my sentence, Asch had picked me up off my feet. He was very, very strong. I struggled, but only slightly, allowing him to carry me by my arms. He placed me down beside a switch on a pedestal.

"The way to operate the Dragonator is simple. You take this..." He places his hand on the switch, "... while standing on this..." He stood on top of the pressure plate. "You basically pull it down and that's that."  
>"Why aren't you scared?" I practically yelled at him.<p>

"Because I'm confident." He said, firmly. This made me gasp a bit. Then, I clenched my fists and stepped onto the pedestal.  
>"Let's do it." I looked downwards, then outwards towards the Rathian that was now very close to the rear of our ship.<p>

"We're very lucky that she is unable to use fire in mid-air, unlike Rathalos," Asch yelled to me from below. "You choose, Dariue." I gulped then nodded, turning back to the wyvern. She then decided to shift momentum upwards, coming up towards me. I shook and immediately grabbed the switch, jumping onto the pedestal. It didn't budge. I attempted to pull down again, but it didn't work. She got too close. I could feel the very heat coming from her mouth as her eyes met with mine. Such an intense glare. Almost as if she had fire in her eyes. The Rathian roared again, full out in my face. I flinched, unable to move. I could hear Asch's faint shouting in the background. It was blurred and I was unable to make out what he was saying. Each beat of the Rathian's wings both pushed me back a small bit and killed my ears because of the intense wind. I shuddered, realizing how big she really was. She then shifted momentum, in a way that signalled she was going to fly up then down, almost like a back flip. It was then that I knew. I was done for. The reason? If she shifted her momentum like that, she would fall greatly behind our ship. However, it would be worth it because I was right in her face. I'm a guaranteed target. When she began to push her head up, I saw the emerald-like scales underneath her head. They were absolutely mesmerizing. I felt a nudge behind me as Asch placed a hand on the switch. He then placed his other hand on mine and pushed down. I felt a jolt come from the ship and realized that the Rathian had been struck in the chest by the Dragonator. The spear has pierced right through her, instantly killing her. Her final roar made me deaf. The very vibration of it causing me to fall onto my hands and knees. Asch placed his arms around me and picked me up, putting me onto my feet. The Dragonator began to automatically start going back into the ship, causing the Rathian to jiggle off of the spear, falling down under the clouds. It was like the shape of her remained in the clouds for a very long time.

"There, there, Dariue," Asch assured me, patting my back as he moved a chair behind me, letting me sit. "Good job." I hadn't spoken yet, due to the shock of seeing her try to attack me.

"If she had gotten you, you would have most likely been poisoned and thrown off the ship. Sometimes the poison is so lethal… that you would have died before hitting the ground." I tilted my head, looking up at him, the emptiness in my eyes returning.

"Poison?"

"Yes, Rathian has spikes on her tail that induce poisoning. Her species is very popular for doing that back flip attack." Rehuyar came down from the upper deck, placing a cup filled with dark liquid on the table in front of me. It looked a little thick, slightly less dense than pudding.

"Take this, it will help," Rehuyar pushed it towards me. I placed my hand slowly around it and took up, placing my lips on it. The warm liquid slowly came into my mouth and I swallowed. It was quite difficult to swallow, but it opened up my airways. There was no actual definitive taste. After one big sip, I sighed happily. "Thanks." I thanked him, finishing the cup. "This must be… a potion?"

"Well, kind of. It's my own special brew," Rehuyar boasted, "I combine herbs, water, immunizer, blue mushrooms, and airweed. It's very hard to make and I only have a few bottles left." I then gave a concerned, sorry look and apologized.

"I'm sorry…"

"It is fine, I can make plenty more if Sir Asch decides to give me the ingredients." Asch merely laughed, nodding his head.

"You do know that I enjoy your brews very much, Rehuyar." Rehuyar thanked him and walked out of the room, getting back to controlling the ship. Asch pulled up a seat and sat across from me.

"So, what was it like?" He began to ask, "To see her look at you with the intent to kill?" I shuddered and shook my head, "I didn't enjoy it at all."

"Didn't you feel anything out of the ordinary?"

"Hmm…" I pondered his question a bit, then came up with an answer, "Well, it was like… it was like she knew who I was." I shrugged, "it's hard to explain." Asch nodded at my answer, taking a deep breath.

"Whenever you look at a wyvern right in the eyes, it usually means imminent death. You're one of the lucky people who have lived to fully understand a Rathian's thoughts."

"What do you mean?"

"The Rathian is a wyvern that is very wise and secretive. She recognizes courage and valour when she meets a hunter eye-to-eye. She learns who you really are, and you learn who she truly is. It's a strange connection." He shook his head, leaning back in the chair, crossing his arms like he normally does. "She's a strange creature. I, myself, have never been put in that situation."

"Really?" I asked with great intrigue, "I've experienced something you haven't?" He nodded again.

"No one who's sane would ever go in front of a wyvern head on long enough to look into her eyes fully. Like I said, it usually means imminent death. If it wasn't for my help and the Dragonator, you would be dead by now."

"Rathian is a very common wyvern and I guarantee you that you will fight one alone one day. Most likely to defend your village. Who knows when it will be…" He wandered off into his thoughts. "Well! Get some rest. By the time you wake up, we should be in Loc Lac." He got up, patting my shoulder as he passed me. I got up, my armour making its usual noise, and walked into the third room. A bed was in there.

"I sleep in my armour, yeah?" I said, looking at the wall that the other room that theyw ere in shared.

"You always will be." Asch said. I shook my head, looked at the bed and then sighed.

"You're a monster hunter, Dariue," I assured myself, "You can't sleep in your normal clothes again." I then flopped onto the bed, the weight of my armour causing me to bounce. "Feels good though."

Rehuyar added an extra ingredient. It was a sleep herb.


End file.
